Ferrari 550 Maranello / 575M
With its front engine/rear wheel drive platform, the 550 brought back a classic drivetrain layout not used since the Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona production ceased in 1973. The car was designed for Grand Touring with a higher degree of comfort than the F355 and F50 which were produced concurrently. Named is honor of Ferrari’s Headquarters in Maranello the 550 was first introduced in 1996. The car used technology from the 456 2+2 but featured an entirely new 5.5-liter V12 that could produce nearly 500 bhp.
There was a special edition 550 Barchetta Pininfarina that was specifically designed to be reminiscent of legendary Ferrari road race stars of the likes of the 166 MM, the 250 GT California and the 365 GTS4 Daytona. The aim, in fact, was to create an open-top front-engined 12-cylinder with a retro feel to it. Serving as a successor to the radical 550 Maranello, the 575M was got the M suffix which stands for modificato (modified in italian) which stresses how many areas on the car have be rethought. While many of the original styling characteristics have been retained, Ferrari have substantially re-engineered the engine, transmission and driveline for the new car. The engine , with a numerical code of 575, is an enlarged version of the V12 found in the original 550. As you would expect this increase in displacement offers more power and torque across the rpm range. Introduced in 2005, the Ferrari Superamerica was a convertible version of the 575M Maranello and it was a limited edition. The Ferrari 575M was replaced in 2006 by the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.
